Cayo Nuevo Shipwreck (Site)
Sailing Ship · Spain · Lost Dated by archaeologists to approximately 1550; precise year not established · The Mexican Gulf Coast & Campeche
An unidentified mid-16th-century shipwreck reported at Cayo Nuevo on Campeche Bank, among the earliest colonial-era sites in INAH's Gulf inventory.
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The Vessel and Her Loss
First reported to INAH in 1979, the Cayo Nuevo shipwreck is one of the earliest colonial-period wreck sites documented on Campeche Bank, dated by archaeologists to roughly the mid-16th century. The vessel's specific identity, nationality of registry, and cause of loss have not been established. It is cataloged as part of Mexico's inventory of submerged cultural resources in the Gulf of Mexico.
Vessel
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- Wood
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- Sail
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Loss
- Dated by archaeologists to approximately 1550; precise year not established
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- Cayo Nuevo, Campeche Bank, Gulf of Mexico
- Gulf of Mexico
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The Wreck Today
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- 1979
- Underwater cultural heritage documented under INAH's Gulf of Mexico shipwreck inventory
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Cayo Nuevo, Campeche Bank
General location is the Cayo Nuevo shoal on Campeche Bank; no precise decimal position was found in the sources reviewed.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Sparsely documented (30/100)
The vessel's name, nationality, and cause of loss are not established; only an approximate mid-16th-century date and general location on Campeche Bank are documented.
The Nautical Archaeology Digital Library (Texas A&M University)
Site location, approximate 1550 dating, and 1979 report to INAH.
